Undercover Agents Make Arrests in Sting Targeting Mexican Drug Cartel

BANNING - Two suspected members of a Mexican drug cartel were in a county jail in Banning today as a result of a sting operation in which undercover agents seized more than 40 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $1.85 million, the state Attorney General's Office said.

Juan Mora Flores, 40, of Tecate, Mexico, and Jose Vega Diaz, 47, of Whittier, were arrested Thursday in Colton for suspicion of possession of narcotics for sale of more than 25 pounds and transporting more than 25 pounds of narcotics for sale.

Bail was set at $1 million for each, jail records show, and they were held at the Smit...